Won’t blindly follow ally’s stand on Parandur airport, says Congress; forms panel to study project

CHENNAI: Caught in a pickle after alliance leader TVK announced that the Parandur greenfield airport project would be scrapped, the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) has constituted a three-member committee headed by Tiruvallur MP Sasikanth Senthil to assess the ground situation and gather the views of affected residents and farmers before finalising the party's stand.

The Congress had earlier backed the project, with then TNCC president K Selvaperunthagai urging the government to implement it without harming farmers.

Speaking to DT Next, a senior leader said the Congress would not automatically adopt the position of its alliance partner and would instead arrive at an independent stand based on the interests and concerns of the people.

The committee, which has former Rajya Sabha MP S Peter Alphonse and executive committee member Mohan Kumaramangalam as members, will consult members of the party's executive committee, prepare a report, and submit it to the leadership.

The leader said the committee would examine both the potential benefits and concerns associated with the project before submitting a factual report to the party leadership, which would then determine the party's official position.

The panel would assess the actual situation on the ground, including the project's advantages and disadvantages from the perspective of local residents and farmers, the leader said.

"Only after receiving the committee's report will the party take a final decision. A political party should study all aspects of a project before arriving at a conclusion," the leader said.